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Hello and Welcome to SMART DOGS‘ blog, where Dogs are beloved Friends, Family Members and Teachers! Whether you already know us from SMART DOGS facebook page, our Plumwood Posse youtube channel, taking Classes at SMART DOGS Training Center, or are meeting us for the first time, we hope our blog helps you Think, Learn, and Grow. We also hope it helps you understand and use positive reinforcement and two-way communication to build strong, healthy relationships. Our blog emphasizes Learning, Behavior and Health – learning about yourself as you learn about your dog, with your dog, and from your dog; understanding Continue Reading →

Meet the Plumwood Posse, my dogs who bring inspiration, delight, laughter, friendship, lessons and knowledge to each and every day! Shown L to R in the photo below are: Chibi-chan RN, Penelope, GingerPeach CRO-I CGC retired Therapy Dog, Geronimo CRO-I CGC, Rocky CD RA and Piglet P-CRO-III. I coined the name “Plumwood Posse” over a decade ago, the group shown below is version 7.0. As for their ages and breeds: Chibi-chan is a senior gentleman and a mix of toy breeds, Penelope a ~3 year old rat terrier, GingerPeach and Rocky are ~10-11 year old Golden Retrievers (perhaps with a Continue Reading →

In the photo above, Geronimo and Rocky wait in the background while Piglet practices a tunnel. Being able to calmly, pleasantly, patiently “wait” is a crucial skill for Life in the SMART Zone where health, safety, harmony, and low stress levels prevail. This skill is important not only for your health & stress level but also your dog’s health & stress level. Whether you share your home with 1 dog, or 2 or more dogs, there are numerous situations in your everyday life where a wait is useful. The dog’s position while waiting might be a stand, a sit or Continue Reading →

January 2013 marked the launch of SMART DOGS’ Agility Program! And launch we did! 8 Agility classes in 7 months: Agility Levels 1 and 2, and Therapeutic Agility* Levels 1 and 2. SMART DOGS’ students are having a blast learning this sport. And of course, they Rocked! 🙂 Impressive progress by each Team. The canine students were a wonderful variety of sizes and breeds which added to the fun! Agility Classes are now on summer break due to the Arkansas heat & humidity but will resume with our 2013 Fall Session. Students are eager to get back on course and Continue Reading →

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For the second time this year the Posse and I provide hospice care for a dear friend and family member. First was GingerPeach who passed away May 11. And now, sweet Rocky. His mobility increasingly limited as his spondylosis progresses. Came across a beautiful quote by Cicely Saunders, nurse, physician, writer, and founder of the modern hospice movement. Sharing it here, along with a few glimpses of the love and life that fill these special days with Rocky. “You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only Continue Reading →

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First news of 2015 – happy to announce I’m a Certified Stress Management Coach! Helping people manage the stress in their lives has always been crucial in my work at SMART DOGS. Why? Stress affects all of us – for better and for worse! Stress affects learning & behavior – for better and for worse! Mismanaged stress feeds undesired behavior and decreases wellness in dogs and in people. Stress from the human end of the leash causes stress at canine end of the leash. Stress from the human end of the leash affects progress at both ends of the Continue Reading →

As the start of the New Year approaches, I’m grateful for all the learning and growth of the past year. Wonderful new students, returning students, and visitors from far away places – including Kay Laurence who shared her time and knowledge in a Clicker Revolution workshop – contributed to my learning and growth in 2014. I’m grateful for the uniqueness of each person, each dog, and each lesson exchanged. Because of each one, my eyes see more clearly. Each year at SMART DOGS new programs are added and ongoing programs live in a healthy state of revision. One notable new Continue Reading →

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“Too many mind” is a favorite quote I often share with students. It’s from “The Last Samurai”, a 2003 movie directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick. The quote is about mental control, maintaining a mental state free of distraction, it’s about performance, focus, being in the moment. Being truly and utterly IN the moment. The storyline takes place in 19th century Japan during the Meiji Restoration, details on the movie here. Captain Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise) is taken captive by Samurai and held in their village. They treat him very well and he is free to walk around Continue Reading →

11 years ago last month, my Mother was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Her first noticeable symptom affected her balance and mobility and appeared at least 10 months earlier. Thus began a long, difficult journey to proper diagnosis during which her symptoms increased in number and severity. The road to an ALS diagnosis is a lengthy, stressful process of elimination comprising numerous tests, exams and procedures. ALS received much attention in the media recently thanks to the ice bucket challenges. Those challenges not only helped raise awareness of ALS but also over Continue Reading →

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What comes to mind when you think of “performance dogs”? Perhaps you think of dogs who perform in Dog Sports and Activities such as Agility, Freestyle, Herding, Hunt Tests, Obedience, Rally, Schutzhund, Treiball, Water Rescue, etc.? Dogs who perform jobs, for example, Search & Rescue, Service Dogs, Therapy Work, Scent Detection, Law Enforcement, etc.? Maybe you think of dogs who perform Training Demonstrations for Educational purposes? What about your very own pet dog? Do you think of him when you think of a performance dog? You should! I remind all my students, Continue Reading →

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I think many of us have heard or used a phrase like “letting a dog be a dog.” I myself have used the phrase “dogs being dogs” in reference to pics and clips of the Posse enjoying miscellaneous activities of daily life (running in the yard and/or our field, digging for moles, picking apples off our tree, playing with each other, tracking rabbits/deer/critters, etc.). Students sometimes ask questions relating to “when should I let my dog be a dog?” The last few times I’ve heard this phrase it struck me in a different way… What Continue Reading →

Each interaction you have with your dog matters, none is trivial. Each interaction either enhances your relationship, or damages it. Each interaction either builds cooperation or causes resistance, builds trust or destroys it, creates harmony or conflict. Consider how many times a day you interact with your dog. Be aware that each look, each word, each touch, each action and, yes, each thought contributes to and impacts your relationship. Think about all the interactions you have had with your dog today alone and consider each one’s effect. With each interaction, were you enhancing or damaging your relationship? What type of looks Continue Reading →

Your dog is waiting for you… Your dog is waiting for you to see him as the unique individual he is, not as a stereotype of a breed (e.g., Lab, Poodle, Yorkie, Corgi, etc) or breed group (e.g., herding, terrier, toy, etc.). Your dog is waiting for you to recognize who he is rather than viewing him as a label or behavior problem (e.g., stubborn, anxious, hyper, reactive, fearful, digger, jumper), a “rank” in a hierarchy, a teddy bear, a dress up doll, or a lesser version of your previous dog. Your dog is waiting for you to have him Continue Reading →

Hello and Welcome to SMART DOGS‘ blog, where Dogs are beloved Friends, Family Members and Teachers! Whether you already know us from SMART DOGS facebook page, our Plumwood Posse youtube channel, taking Classes at SMART DOGS Training Center, or are meeting us for the first time, we hope our blog helps you Think, Learn, and Grow. We also hope it helps you understand and use positive reinforcement and two-way communication to build strong, healthy relationships. Our blog emphasizes Learning, Behavior and Health – learning about yourself as you learn about your dog, with your dog, and from your dog; understanding Continue Reading →